The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-02-12

States. We must work for God and
with God politically as citizens of our
republic, and we must work for our re-
public as citizens of Ohio. In other |
words, in being loyal to Ohio as our |
field in the Union, we are loyal to the
Union.
So there is moral government OF
God over men. And, as religious or
moral beings we believe in the Christ
ian form of religion which we try to
practice. But we have our denomina-
tional ideas of the Christian religion.
There is the Presbyterian idea, the
Lutheran idea, the Methodist idea, the
Baptist idea, the Catholic idea, and be-
sides others, our own, or the Universe
list idea. And, as Universalism is the
division of the Christian church in
which we live, we are to be loyal to
Christ and loyal to God, by being loyal
to our own church. We must work for
God by being active Universalists.
We see God and understand him from
the Universalist standpoint. We have
the Universalist God-idea, and worship
God as one whose family includes all
mankind. Gods work, as we under
stand it, is to save every man, woman,
and child. And whatever we fail to
accomplish in the full and complete
salvation of man on earth, we believe
we will be able to realize hereafter.
Gods work, according to the idea Of
salvation in nearly every other church,
is that only part of mankind will be
saved. Whatever we do for God, must
be done before death. After death
there is no more work to be done, for
heaven is an unending rest. And as
other denominations look at Gods work
in mans salvation, there is mighty lit
tie left for the most faithful of us to do.
Jesus Christ, God, and the Holy Ghost,
virtually wrought out our salvation
eighteen centuries ago, on Mt. Calvary;
and all we can any of us do now, is to
hold revivals, get people to accept this
ready made salvation as we pin on the
blue ribbon or red tape, and sing songs,
and get as many into the church as
God sees fit to save from fearful and
endless hell to come
Such salvation as this is better than
none; but there is too much surface
work, too little work wrought out by
man himself. Revivals of this type of
religion go off with great flourish Of
trumpets. There is great deal of feel
ing, fear, noise, thunder, shouting and
fury about it. The blue ribbon or red
tape of ready-made salvation, is pin
ned on hundreds in series of revival
meetings. There is then nothing left
for the convert to do but to "hold out'
till he dies, and then God will take him
to heaven but only few 'hold out"
Ready made salvation, like ready made
shoddy ,gdoes not wear well.
Gods work, as we understand it, if
well done, requires a lifetime. Moth
ing on which our salvation depends is
ready-made. We are to work it out en-
tirely for ourselves with Gods cooper
alton; that is, by working in obedience
to his moral and spiritual laws govern
ing our spiritual development.
AS we understand Gods work, we
are working for God in building up a
Christian character either in ourselves,
or in doing what we can to induce
others to become Christian in character.
And working for God does not consist
SO much of singing his praises, praying
for his pardon and favor, nor of keep
ing holy the Sabbath, good as all these
duties are, as it does in being honest,
honorable, truthful, temperate, trust
worthy and beneficent. The Christian
works for God in his daily toll. The
world sees that he works for his fellow
man, but he sees that he works for God.
The man who makes fortune, makes
his character what it is largely by how
he makes that fortune. His methods
morally affect his character. The man
who barely makes living, makes his
character largely what it is by how he
makes that livelihood. If we are dis
honest in our work, we put dishonesty
itself into our character. We work
double. We work externally in the
world without, and we work internally
in our own personal world; the realm of
character. And as goes the work out
side, so largely will go the work inside.
If we go with sullen spirit, as if driv-
en- to our work, we build more or less
permanent sullenness of spirit for life
and if we go to our daily tasks with
free, cheerful spirit, we build up
cheerful disposition that is of untold
advantage to us in almost every circum-
stance in life.
We notice certain resemblance be-
tween certain people and their work.
No Christian can do unchristian work
and survive as Christian. The kind
of work we do, will strike through US,
and edify or injure us. A great deal
| of this worlds work has a very ramota